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In Sweden, energy utility Kraftringen Energi AB has announced that it together with Lund University of Technology (LTH) and Karlstad University, will evaluate the possibilities of extracting bio-oil from existing biomass cogeneration operations. The Swedish Energy Agency, together with Kraftringen, will finance the SEK 4 million (≈ EUR 385 000) project, which will be conducted at Kraftringen's Örtofta biomass-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant.

Commissioned in 2014, Kraftringen’s SEK 1.8 billion Örtofta biomass-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant is one of the largest in southern Sweden. On an annual basis the plant uses 310 000 tonnes of woody biomass to supply 500 GWh of district heat to Lund, Lomma och Eslöv and 220 GWh of electricity (photo courtesy Christina Fröjd, Kraftringen).

According to a statement, the project seeks to answer questions about whether energy companies can become self-sufficient in biofuels and thereby replace fossil oil or imported biofuels in combined heat and power (CHP) plants or even become a supplier of bio-oils to other industries.

We are pleased that the Swedish Energy Agency stands behind this important project, which is in line with Kraftringen’s efforts to lead the transition to a sustainable society. Our cogeneration production is already fossil fuel free today but it does not mean that we together shouldn’t find new innovative ways to further reduce our environmental impact, said Stefan Hansson, Technology Manager at Kraftringen.

Scheduled to begin in November 2018, the two-year research project is unique in its kind and the hope is that the increased knowledge will form the basis for a faster conversion to a fossil-free energy industry. The Swedish Energy Agency contribution to the SEK 4 million (≈ EUR 385 000) project is SEK 2.9 million (≈ EUR 280 000).

In this new collaboration, we will evaluate the sustainability of a possible future system. The possibility of using domestic wood fuel and existing facilities in a more efficient way is really exciting. It creates good conditions for the production of low-environmental biofuels, remarked Lovisa Björnsson, Project Manager and Professor Environmental and Energy Systems at LTH.